Maryland, 1998

Drought in Maryland, November 30, 1998

November 30, 1998 · NWS PHI · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Unseasonably dry weather continued through the month of November across the Maryland Eastern Shore. 5 inches of precipitation fell during the month.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.

Unseasonably dry weather continued through the month of November across the Maryland Eastern Shore. On a county weighted average only 1.1 to 1.5 inches of precipitation fell during the month. This was around 2 inches below normal and represented about 40 percent of the normal monthly precipitation. On a county weighted average, the least precipitation fell in Talbot County (1.1 inches). The unseasonably dry weather has persisted for months and farmers reported to be losing millions of dollars a day in agricultural losses. Throughout Maryland corn for grain and soybean losses had been estimated to be as high as 50 percent. Pastures and rangeland were still being affected and 47 percent were rated as being in poor or very poor condition. Streamflow rates were about 20 percent of normal for November. The continued dry weather was leading toward a drought declaration by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Caroline

When
November 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Caroline forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.872, -75.832 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cecil

When
November 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Cecil forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.562, -75.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kent

When
November 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.236, -76.096 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Queen Annes

When
November 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Queen Annes forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.038, -76.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Talbot

When
November 30, 11:59 PM EST
Where
Talbot forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.749, -76.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maryland in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maryland, November 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5676387, 5676388, 5676389, 5676390, 5676391.